Gratot castle

Château de Gratot was built at the end of the 13th century and altered many times over the years. It was abandoned at the beginning of the 20th century, and its remains can still be seen today.

 It is located in the commune of Gratot in the coutançais region, close to Notre-Dame church, in the heart of La Manche.

The château consists of a quadrangular enclosure surrounded by a moat fed by the “Fountain of the Fairy”. The entrance was via a postern equipped with drawbridges. A 13th-century corner tower and an arched bridge leading to a formal garden are still visible. The 16th-century outbuildings now house an exhibition on the history of the château. The seigniorial dwelling, built in the 15th and 17th centuries, comprised three floors and some 15 rooms.

The medieval-looking Tour Ronde features a watch turret, while the Tour à la Fée is distinguished by its ornate architecture. An 18th-century inventory reveals the splendor of the château, with its vast storerooms and fifteen servants. A local legend tells of an underground passage linking it to the Saint-Gerbold hermitage.

Château de Gratot, built in the 13th century, underwent numerous transformations before reaching its apogee in the 17th century, when its lands became a marquisate. Abandoned in the 19th century, it fell into ruin before being restored in the 20th century.

Originally owned by the de Gratot family, the estate was confiscated in 1204 by Philippe Auguste and passed to the d’Argouges family in 1251.

The d’Argouges family held it until the end of the 18th century, despite a few periods of interruption, notably in the 15th century when it was briefly attributed to a supporter of the King of France. In the 14th century, Philippe d’Argouges had the château rebuilt on the old foundations, but the family only lived there occasionally. In 1771, the last Argouges owner sold the château to the Bishop of Coutances. After several changes of ownership, it was abandoned in the 19th century, gradually falling into disrepair, with the exception of the outbuildings used for farming. In 1924, Jean Tiphaigne, the estate’s farmer, bought the property and attempted to preserve some of the buildings.

In 1968, his grandson Jean-Pierre Tiphaigne initiated a restoration project with volunteers, giving the château a new lease of life as a cultural and tourist site.